Weather

We'll be in the 'warm sector' of a disturbance before the cold front comes in late Sunday night, so the warming south winds should push temps well into the upper 40s to near 50...some of the warmer cities may be well into the 50s Sunday afternoon. Not bad for January! Skies will stay partly to mainly cloudy, and we'll still see a chance for some light rain, especially at the beach and throughout the Northwest Interior.

The cold front with this disturbance finally decides to move on through early Monday morning, and this will make more of a direct hit out of our part of the Pacific Northwest. We'll see rain at times through the day on Monday, so the back-to-work commutes will be wet...especially the morning drive. Highs will stay in the middle 40s Monday afternoon.

Thereafter, more quiet weather builds into our forecasting picture. Skies should stay partly to mostly cloudy after some morning fog Tuesday through Thursday. Lows will drop into the 30s, and highs will top out in the middle to upper 40s.

Mostly cloudy skies today with highs in the mid to upper 40s. Not a bad way to start 2012.

A front hanging off the coast will finally move in on Monday giving us showers, cooler temps and some breezy conditions at times. We will also see some more snow in the mountains. Highs on Tuesday will hit the low 40s in many areas.

A steady pattern of Pacific fronts will continue to move through for the week ahead. A stronger system bringing rain and localized windy conditions is expected on Wednesday and into Thursday.

I know the halls have been decked and the stockings have been stuffed, but for many, it just might not have felt like December in Seattle without having to go dashing through the raindrops.

As of dawn Christmas morning, Seattle had received just 0.27" of rain so far in the month of December with just a week left to go. If that sounds unheard of, it is. It's never been this dry this far into the month before. In fact, December stands as the second driest month of the year so far, trailing only August and nearly three times drier than July. Even the Desert Southwest has had more rain than Seattle.

But all of that is changing this week, as a big ridge of high pressure that has been stuck over the Eastern Pacific Ocean for much of the month has finally given way. And in its place, here comes the jet stream, taking aim at the Pacific Northwest and about to steer a few storms our way as the month and year draw to a close.

Rain will develop during Christmas Day with some breezy winds kicking up in the afternoon. They won't be too strong - about 20-30 mph in gusts. The rain won't be all that heavy, but we could double our rainfall total Sunday alone.

A weak system quickly passing through will bring a soggy start to Sunday, but we should dry by the afternoon.

The exception could be the Puget Sound Convergence Zone where some lingering showers could stick around in the afternoon.

Highs on Monday will hit the mid 40s in most places.

We are looking partly sunny and dry for Monday.

Clouds will increase on Tuesday with another batch of light showers showing up by late in the day. A chance of slight showers sticks around through Wednesday, but you will also see some sun breaks as well.

Right now the forecast models are calling Thursday dry with showers returning on Friday.

Following some drizzle from Saturday night, wet pavement in place and lows set to drop into the 30s by dawn, the next weather problem may be ice. It won't be widespread, as most of us will see our temps bottom out in the middle 30s by early Sunday morning. However, some of the colder pockets like Bremerton and Olympia will hover closer to freezing, so spotty icy roadways may be a driving issue early Sunday around the South Sound or Kitsap Peninsula.

Sunday afternoon will feature a few more spotty showers alternating with a few sun breaks, and highs will hover on either side of 40. Sunday night looks dry, but widespread thick fog will make for low visibility on the Monday morning commute. Monday afternoon looks dry and partly to mostly sunny, and highs will hit the low 40s for the first day of the work week.

The fog was thick again this morning in pockets, especially in the Northwest Interior. With lows there at or below freezing, areas of black ice could be found on area roadways. Be careful if you encounter some fog today...chances are it could be slickening up the roadway!

Other than that, things are still VERY quiet around her for early December. That massive ridge of high pressure is still parked over the Pacific: it keeps the storms out of our way, and also keeps things rather chilly. Highs today will max out in the low to middle 40s, and skies will range from mostly sunny to mostly cloudy. The beaches and mountains will enjoy quite a bit of blue sky, but the Sound Sound in particular will likely hang on to more stubborn cloud cover. But overall, it will still be a great day for outdoor activities, especially if heading to the Christmas tree lots (or farms!) is on your to-do list this afternoon.

This pattern holds through at least Monday, so the stagnant air will not be able to mix out through at least that point. An Air Stagnation Advisory continues for most of Western Washington.

Rain is falling across a lot of western Washington this morning. We also have some breezy winds out there as well. But what will likely get your attention the most are the mild temperatures. The reason for the unseasonably warm morning is a strong flow out of nearly the due south. This is associated with a soggy front moving onshore as we speak. This will bring plenty of rain for much of the day.

Once the front passes by, some cooler air will move in behind it. This means we are feeling the warmest temps of the day right now.

Monday is looking dry, but much cooler. Highs will hit the mid 40s under partly sunny skies.

Clouds will increase on Tuesday with a few showers popping up on Wednesday.